The Brookhaven leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1883-1891, 1887-12-22
FULLY 100000,
THE INCREASE IN MISSISS-
IPPI'S DEBT UNDER
GOV. LOWRY.
ED. WILSON'S FIGURES VERIFIED.
The showing OF n Conservative, But Well
Posted Writer on the States Finances.
To the Editor oil the Avalanche


of discussion of the day in this State,
aud as the Avalanche has more read
ers in Mississippi than perhaps any
Mississippi paper, who am sure do
not hold to the idea that il is I'M
warranted meddlesOmeness" for
Memphis paper to give facts relating
to affairs in this State, | ask space to
make few observations on the sub
iect. will first refer to the admin
istration of Gov. Stone, as unfavora-
BILE comparisons have been attempted
to be drawn against it in certain
quarters, and can do this in no bet
ter way than by submitting an edito-
rial which appeared in the New
Mississippian, then owned and edited
by its founder, Edgar S. Wilson, of
Feb. "a, 1885.
STONES ADMINISTRATOR $1,0O0,000
AHEAD.
When the charge of extravaganza is
=
ton, his friends exclaim: " Taxation
has been reduced" Yes; when Stone
went out he left largely over $780,
600 in the treasury, and there was no
trouble in reducing the rate of taxa
ton one-half a mill. This reduction
took place before Stone had been out
of office sixty days, but it has not
been reduced any since. Gov. Stones
administration made this reduction
possible there was the 100000 and
over i'll the treasury, and property
had increased under his administra-
ton to such an extent as to warrant
the reduction of the4 mill. Let us
examine taxation while Stone was
Governor. When he went into office,
he found the State heels over head in
debt, and taxation at the rate of IT
mills. Before he had been in Office
sixty days, it was reduced to 81 mills;
the next year it was reduced to 5
mills, and the next year to 81 mills,
and when the Legislature met again
it was reduced this time to mills.
In fact, taxation was reduced under
his administration every time the
Legislature met. Stone found the
taxpayers paying It mills; he left
them paying mills. NOtwithstand-
ing this reduction of At mills during
his term, his administration paid into
the State treasury on auditors re-
ceipt warrants, nearly $1,000, O00more
than it drew out, as is shown by the
auditors reports. We mean that his
receipts were nearly 81 zoo, 900 more
than he spent during his term; or, to
be more concise and accurate, we
mean to say that the auditors re-
ports for the years from 1876 to 1881,
inclusive-and these are the years of
Gov. Stones administratiOn-shOw
that 1885, 554.45 was paid into the
State treasury by auditors warrants,
while 1899, 403.05 was paid out of
the treasury by auditors warrants.
This shows a net balance of 1856, 151.-
40 collected more than was expended
during these six years, and must be
placed to the credit of Gov. Stones
administration. OF this excess col
lected during these six years, SILL
045.12 was applied to paying the out
standing Indebtedness of the State,
and 1915, 106.2S was left as cash bal
ance in the treasury on January l,
1882, as is shown by the treasurer's
report.
Vile this saving process was
going On-while the credit side of the
States ledger was rushing to the
front so handsOmely-we are safe in
asserting that no institution of any
character was stinted, but several
new ones were built and all of them
provided for. Stones administration
no defenders. Its impress and beneti-
cial effects will be felt, and mark one
of the brightest epochs i'll Mississippi's
history, long after the plain, honest,
practical and business-like man, to
whom our State owes so much, shall
have been called into his eternity.
SO much for Stone.
Later on we will endeavOr to show
the people what sort of a fix their
business "appears to be in" after
Gov. Lowry has been in charge for
three years.
We will only say now that com
parisOn of the two ADMINISTRATORS is
something which "Dear Bob should
have cautioned his mis- guided friends
to avoid.
In making these statements, we
have been governed by the official re-
ports as we understand them. If we
are in error in any particular, we
would like to have our attention called
to it, as we desire to be accurate and
fair. If Gov. LOwry's administration
has been wise and economical, the
people shall know it; but the facts the
people are entitled to, and the facts
the people shall have.-Ner MiSsiss
ippian, Feb. "a, 1885.
The facts and figures embraced in
that editorial as to the administration
of Gov. Stone have never been and
can never be successfully assailed.
They are stern facts which no twist
ing of figures and reckless assertions
can down. Now, as to Gov. LOwry's
which is two and
half years older than when the editO-
rial above was published. On the LIST |
day of January, 1886, when the
assembled and his first
term had expired, and he was in
augurated for a second term of four
years, it was found, Notwithstanding
the large amounts of money which the
Governor bOastingly claims to have
collected and paid into the treasury